Angularly adjustable, reversible ratchet wrench



J y 1957 E. M. FRUSCELLA ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE, REVERSIBLE RATCHET WRENCH Filed Oct. 1. 1953 I INVENTOR. /w: M. fwsqsuA ATTORNEYS.

10 Claims. (Cl; til-60) My invention relates :to universal-action, flexible ratchwets, and isconcerned. with improvements. in ratcheting, devices of thetype disclosed in.U. S. Patent 2,660,911 to:

Karl E. Queitzsch.

It is an object of the invention to .providean improvedratchet-operated. tool of the characterindicated.

1t,is another objectto provide a flexible ratchet with.

improved meansproviding a locked relationof'the parts foroneangular adjustment ofthe actuating and actuated elements...

Another object is to' provide means for clearlyand unambiguously identifying adjustment limits of the'ratchetreversingmechanism in devices of the character indicated.

A further objectis to provide improved meanslfor re-.

movably retainingthe parts together in a device of. the:

character: indicated. v Still another object is to. provide detent actionin a device ofthe character indicated for resiliently retaining, the parts in an orientation for which no relative rotation of driving and driven elements isto be permitted;

Other objects-and. various further features of novelty and invention will be pointed. outor will occur to those skilled in the art from a reading of thefollowing specifica: tion in conjunction with the: accompanyingdrawings; In said drawings, which show, for illustrative purposesonly, a preferred form of the invention:

Fig. Us a view in longitudinal elevation ofacomplete' ratchet wrench incorporating features. of.the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged endview of thewrenchofil-sig. 1;, Fig. 3 isa view similar to Fig. 2, but showing-the parts in a difierent' relation, the tool-driving tang. being. sec-. tioned in the. plane 3-3. of Fig. 2;.

Fig. 4 is an enlargedfragmentary. sectional viewsinthe plane 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is asectionalview in the planes-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 isa view similar. to Fig. 4, but illustrating-the parts in a different relation; and

and

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view in the plane'8"-8- of Fig. 4.

Briefly stated, my invention contemplates an improved flexible-ratchet structure of the character indicated, whereby the capacity of thedevice is substantially increased for any givensize. Improved means are provided for promoting ratchet action for a plurality of relative angular relationships of the driving and driven'axes; and means coacting directly between the handle or driving member and the tang or driven member serve to lock these parts against relative rotation for one given angular relationship between the parts. Means are also provided for positively limiting the angular movementnecessary to etiect reversal of ratchet action, and, in addition, improved means are provided for removably retaining the parts together.

Referring to the drawings, my invention is. shownin application to a ratchetwrench comprising-a handler 10 Fig. 7 is asectionallview intthe plane 7--7 of Fig. 4;

" 2,800,821 1 Eatented July" 30,- 1 957 havingan enlarged head 11, upon which a xball'retainer or= cage.12 is= journaled for rotation; The: ball-retaining end of the? cage: 12 may be generally hemispherical and:

As .disclosed. in said Queitzsch application, the, slot :13 ispreferably of sutficient arcuate extent to permit guided,

universal movement of-the tang between limiting positions: atleast 90. degrees apart, as best shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, .a.-phantom .outline-14 identifiesv the so=cal1ed straighton.or. aligned limit of adjustment of the tang;14,- andlthe slot13. extends sufliciently for adjustment of tang-14in the. sorcalled -degree position, showninxsolid outlinesa Ratchetaction maybe achieved by means of apluralityof Iarcuatelratchet teeth 15 formed :in the .ball 15.-. These:

teeth-extend preferably as great-circle arcs inplanes passe ing. through the. axis .of. thetang- 1.4. For. coaction'withthese teeth,.a pawl20 may beguided inatransverse slot 21. formed' in.the.head 11 of handlelO, and-a'pivotpin- 22: for the. pawl is. supported in head .11. on: opposite sides of slot 21. Spring. means .23, also carried by thes head-r11, may be compressed beneath the pawl so-as tourgethe; same constantly against the-ball -15 for'coaction therewith. It will be seenthat in the 90-degree position ofadjustment, shownin Figs. 1,and,4, and for a plurality. of-other lesserangleadjustments, there.may be free ratchet-engaging action between the. handle 10 and the tang 14; this ratchetr actionmaybe. obtained for angular relationshipsvirtually. up, to the aligned position shown at 14 In order to reverse ratchet,action,.as..from thatwhich applies for. tang 14 inthe solid-line positionof-Fig.- 2 to that which applies for thetang in the. phantom-line position of Fig, 2, the handle 10 may be firmly grasped while the cage 12 is rotated counterclockwise. It is easiestto do this while the tang 14 is in the aligned;position 14 of Fig. 1, but it will.be understood that, once thecage-and handle have been shifted to select a given,

directionof ratchet action, the tang may be angularly adjusted as needed to achieve flexibility.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, I provide means coacting directly between the handle and the tangforldcking these parts together when in the aligned position; This engagement is promoted by forming the shank. 16 with a polygonal section for engagement with one end of.slot 13, and in the form shown this section-is essentially square. To engage the square section 16, the slot-13need only be locally reduced in extent where relative rotation of the parts is to b'e'denied,.and for the form shown this location is for thealigned relation of theparts. Thus, the walls ofslot.13 may, in, the

vicinity of the handle axis, be reduced as by projections,

24, to. embrace and lock the square shank. 16.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, I

provide detent action inherent in the pawl mechanism in. order resiliently. to hold the. parts in the so-called aligned. or straight-on position. This detent action may be.

achieved by forming the bottom end of ball 15, that is, the end remote from the tang 14, with a flat25 (normal to' the tang; axis) and by having the pawl 20 engage the. Hat 25' substantially on the handle axis, when thetang is'oriented in the straight-on position; Under these circumstances; it will be-seen that, when theparts' are in 3 the aligned or straight-on position, and viewed as in Fig. 6, the pawl spring 23 will provide resiliently urged detent action against the flat 25 to retain the aligned position.

As indicated generally above, I have also provided means for positively determining the limits of angular adjustment of the cage 12 and handle 10 relativelyto each other, in order to select with certainty a given direction of one-way ratcheting engagement. Preferably, these limits are made recognizable to the user "as positive stops, as by employing a radial projection carried by the handle 10 and directly abutting the shoulder on the cage for each of the limits of angular adjustment. In the form shown, the positive stops are defined byopposed shoulders 2627 (Figs. 4 and which may merely be walls of limited axial grooves within the handle end of the skirt of cage 12. The other walls of these grooves may slope, as indicated at 2829, so that in forming the grooves a minimum of material is excavated and therefore there is an inconsequential weakening'of the cage structure. The abutment carried by the head ll'may comprise a pin 30, guided in a radial bore and urged radially outwardly by spring 31. It will be clear that, in the process of shifting the pawl to select a dilferent direction of ratchet engagement, as from the position shown in Fig. '5 (corresponding to the phantom position of the tang in Fig. 2) to the other possible position (corresponding to the solid-line position of the tang in Fig. 2),

the pin 30 will be cammed by the inclined wall 29 to ride the bore of the cage until inclined wall 28 permits expulsion of the pin 30 for interception by the positive stop 26. There can be no ambiguity or uncertainty about striking the positive stop 26 and, when this position is reached, the user will know that the direction of oneway ratchet action has been reversed.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, I provide improved means for removably retaining the parts in assembled relation. This retaining means utilizes a snap ring 33 overlapping the walls of a groove 34 in the bore of the cage 12 and of a corresponding groove 35 in the head 11. Preferably, the snap ring 33 is stressed by inward compression when retaining the parts together, in which event groove 35 may be of a depth to accommodate the full effective 'radial thickness of snap ring 33 while the skirt of cage 12 is inserted over the compressed snap ring 33; when the grooves 34-35 are aligned in the same radial plane, the snap ring will immediately snap into groove 34, which is preferably more shallow than the thickness of ring 33, for axial retention of the parts. In order to promote ready disassembly of the parts, I provide the ring 33 with outwardly bent actuating lugs 36 at both ends, and an access opening between slot walls 37 in the skirt of cage 12 and extending to the plane of the groove 34 permits location of the lugs 36 as well as access for compression of the ring to permit removal of the parts. The opening or slot 37 may be formed with locally enlarged walls or pockets 38 in the plane of groove 34, so as to receive the lugs 36 and thus retain the parts in assembled relation. Disassembly is easily effected by compressing lugs 36 together, out of pockets 38, thereby permitting ring 33 to clear groove 34, and also permitting the handle and cage 12 to be axially separated.

It will be seen that I have described an improved wrench construction featuring rugged parts and improved selection of the direction of one-way ratchet action. When the parts are to be locked up, as in the aligned position, there can be no stressing of the pawl in transmitting torque from the handle to the tang; and, when ratcheting action is needed, there need be no ambiguity in the selection of the desired direction of ratchet action.

V While I have described the invention in detail for the preferred form shown, it will be understood that modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In a ratchet tool of the character indicated, a handle including at one end ball-retaining means having an arcuate slot in a part of the wall thereof, ratchet means including a pawl carried by said handle and a freeswivelling toothed ball retained by said retaining means said pawl and the teeth of said ball having driving engagement in one direction and escaping in the other direction, said ball carrying a tool-attachment tang projecting therefrom and through said slot, the teeth on said ball being arcuately extensive, whereby said ratchet means may have universal ratchet action for a plurality of angular relationships between the axis of said handle and the axis of said tang, said tang having a substantially polygonal shank at the location of passing through said slot, and said slot having a locally reduced portion for one angular relation of'the axes of said tang and of said handle, said reduced portion being sufficiently reduced for non-rotatable engagement with said polygonal section.

2. In a ratchet device of the character indicated, a handle including a ball-retainingfcage having a ballretaining center substantially aligned with'the handle axis,

said cage having a slot generally arcuate about said center and passing through said axis, ratchet means including a ball retained by said cage and having a toolattachment tang projecting radially through said slot, said ratchet means further including pawl means carried by said handle and having driving engagement with said ball in one direction and escaping in the opposite direction, a limited part of said slot and a corresponding part of said tang having coacting key means locking said tang and cage against relative rotation when said tang is positioned in said limited part of said slot, and said slot being of suificient width at parts other than said limited part to permit rotation of said tang relatively to said handle whereby said key means may lock said tang and cage independently of said ratchet means.

-3. In' a ratcheting device of the character indicated, a handle, a cage rotatably carried by said handle at one end thereof and having an arcuate slot in the wall thereof, said slot passing through the axis of rotation of said cage, a ratchet-toothed ball retained by said cage and carrying a tool-operating tang projecting through said slot, one-way ratchet means including pawl means carried by said handle and engageable with the teeth of said ball, said teeth extending arcuately in a sense to produce ratchet-drive action for tang-axis orientations displaced from the handle axis, whereby for one relative angular position ofv said cage and handle a first direction of one-way ratcheting engagement with said ball may be achieved, and whereby for another and substantially opposite relativeangular placement of said handle and cage the opposite direction of one-way ratcheting action will be determined, and positive-stop means including parts carried by said handle and cage for positively limiting relative angular movement of said handle and cage only between said substantially opposite relative angular positions.

4. A ratcheting device according to claim 3, in which said stop means includes substantially opposite direct abutment shoulders on said cage, and projecting abutment means carried by said handle for interception by said shoulders.

- 5; A device according to claim 4, in which said projecting means comprises a pin slidably guided in a radial bore in said handle, and'spring means urging said pin radially outward.

6. In a ratcheting device of the character indicated, a handle, a cage rotatably carried by said handle at one end thereof and defining with, said handle a ball-retaining socket, said cage having in the wall thereof an arcuate slot. passing through the axis of rotation of said cage; a. ratchet-toothed ball, retained by said cage and handle and including radially projecting tang means guided by said slot, ratchet means carried by said handle cooperating between said handle and the teeth of said ball for driving said tang means with one-way-engaging ratchet action, and means for removably retaining said cage on said handle, said last-defined means comprising a snap ring riding an internally facing circumferentially extending groove in said cage and extending into overlapping relation with an external facing circumferentially extending groove in said handle.

7. In a device according to claim 6, in which said cage has an external-access opening to the ring-retaining groove therein.

8. A device according to claim 6, in which said cage has an axially extending slot in the skirt thereof and extending to the radial plane of said ring-retaining groove, said snap ring including radially outwardly projecting lugs at both ends and being resiliently stressed to open to an extent exceeding the dimensions when seated in the groove in said cage.

9. A device according to claim 8, in which said slot has a circnmferentially displaced pocket along one end thereof at the radial plane of said ring-retained groove.

10. In a device of the character indicated, a handle including a ball-retaining cage rotatably carried at one end of said handle, said cage having an extensive arcuate slot passing through the axis of said handle and extending in a single are about the ball center, a ratchet ball rotatably retained by said cage and including a radially projecting tool-driving tang extending through said slot, a ratchet pawl carried by said handle and spring-urged for one-way engagement with said ball, said pawl engaging said ball substantially on the axis of said handle, and said ball being completely cut ofi substantially transverse to the axis of said tang and on the side of said ball remote from said tang, whereby said pawl may cooperate with the cut-ofi part of said ball to provide detent retention of the straight-on orientation of said tang with respect to the handle axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,261,092 Allen Apr. 2, 1918 1,670,547 North May 22, 1928 2,092,345 Yuasa Sept. 7, 1937 2,503,373 Browning et al. Apr. 11, 1950 2,656,865 Bright Oct. 27, 1953 2,660,911 Queitzsch Dec. 1, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 710,903 France June 21, 1926 

